Idaho Elementary Teachers Dressed Up As Mexicans And The Border Wall For Halloween

A group of elementary school teachers from Middleton School District in Middleton, Idaho, dressed up as Mexicans and President Donald Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall for Halloween.

A photo of about a dozen staff members wearing the costume was posted to the Middleton School District’s Facebook page Thursday evening, the Idaho Press reports. The border wall reads “Make America Great Again,” while the staffers who dressed up as Mexicans are wearing sombreros, ponchos and holding maracas. One woman even wrote “MEXICAN” in big red letters on the top of her sombrero.

The Thursday post read in part: “It was a great day to be a Heights Hawk! We celebrated our RESPECT character winners, single and double marathon runners.”

Although the Facebook post has since been deleted, screenshots of the racist Halloween costumes were taken and circulated across social media. Many people from the district and other social media users were furious with the costume.

Another day, another racist costume. This is from Middletown School District in Idaho. Please call (208) 585-3027 to say1) racism is unacceptable2) they are creating and promoting a hostile learning environment to children3) what is their plan to make it right? pic.twitter.com/DqUwvP3ROL

The Idaho DACA Students Facebook group denounced the Halloween costumes in a Friday morning Facebook post, shared via Elizabeth Almanza, a member of immigrant advocacy group PODER (Protecting our Dreams and Empowering Resilience) of Idaho.

“These photos are extremely disheartening,” Almanza wrote. “ALL children should have the right to a learning environment that celebrates all backgrounds. Imagine how some of the students felt when they walked into their classrooms on Halloween and saw their teachers (people they look up to) dressed like this? This is NOT funny. This is heartbreaking. Students deserve better.”

Middleton School District’s superintendent, Dr. Josh Middleton, addressed the controversial Halloween costumes in a Facebook Live video published Friday morning. He said he only became aware of the staff costumes when a parent contacted him on Thursday, offering his “sincerest and deepest apologies.”

“I was shown those photos and [was] deeply troubled by the decision by our staff members to wear those costumes that are clearly insensitive and inappropriate,” he said, adding: “Do I think there was a malicious intent in this poor decision? No, I don’t. Was there a poor judgment involved? Absolutely.”

“We are better than this. We embrace all students,” Middleton continued. “We have a responsibility to teach and reach all students, period.”

He added that the school district is investigating the issue. It is unclear if any of the teachers and staff in the photos will face suspension or termination. The Middleton School District did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.

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